ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum havde fornøjelsen at præsentere en spektakulær installation, som tidligere gennembrød luftrummet over os og lagde hundredvis af kilometer bag sig. Der er tale om ophængningen af det 6 meter lange og 9 meter brede Piper Colt propelfly, som er hovedværket i sensommerens eventyrlige udstilling OPEN SKY.

Som en slags ready-made hænges det mere end 40 år gamle lærredsklædte veteranfly op i Museumsgaden som et vidnesbyrd om en farefuld rejse fra Lille Skensved ved København til Kabul i det krigshærgede Afghanistan. En rute tilbagelagt af den danske pilot og kunstner Simone Aaberg Kærn, som imod alle odds og med livet som indsats fløj de mere end 6000 km i det lille en-motors propelfly fra 1961. En dramatisk flyvetur hvori indgik såvel ulovlig indtrængen i det amerikanske luftkrigsterritorium som en besejring af bjergtinden Hindukush.

Sisters in the Sky
45 painted portraits of female Pilots on Active Service during World War II…installed with sound.
World War II was the first war in which air power played a decisive role. However, it was not the first time women served as combat pilots. World War I saw the first aerial combat, and among the pilots there were a few women.
After World War I, it was clear that aviation had developed from a mere sport to a factor of definite social importance both in civilian life and in the armed forces.
The new possibilities in aviation seemed unlimited. And in the late 1930s young people all over the world flocked to the flying schools, where they were trained under programs often subsidized by the government.
This exhibit shows a small selection of the women who flew during World War II.